What Growing Up Means
by Eight More Seconds
Summary: Sakura goes home after a long day of training and muses about her past and her present. Implied SasuxSaku


Haven't written anything of this sort for a really long time, so I might be losing my touch. Never mind. I just hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Naruto or Naruto related. That's about it.

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_**What Growing Up Means**_

"Well, we'll meet here tomorrow again for our next mission," commented Kakashi. It was already late at night, and Team 7 was beat.

"Hey Sakura! Sai! Wanna go for some ramen?" Sakura shook her head.

"Maybe you can go with Sai. I want to rest for the night." With that, Sakura turned and headed down that usual path which she now headed down whenever she was heading home. The streets today were somewhat quiet, but Sakura had no doubt that all the people were inside bars or night clubs of some sort, or even at home.

It was soothing, walking along that dimly lit streets, shadowed by trees with a gentle breeze. In the silence, Sakura's mind returned to something that she had been doing a lot recently - musing.

_**Growing up means maturing into an adult.**_

How far had she grown up from the immature little girl whose hormones were raging like crazy. That was two and a half years ago; so foreign like it was centuries ago yet at the same time seemed like it was just yesterday. So lovestruck and irrational. Her head was always in the clouds.

Sakura had to laugh at herself when she thought of herself back then. She had grown her hair out long for Sasuke's sake. She had officially declared herself rivals with Ino, probably the person who appreciated and knew her best. All for the sake of love. Then there was the first time she met Kakashi-sensei. He had already known her weakness from the start. Just a simple illusion had sent her screaming and fainting.

Now what had happened? She wasn't fooled by her sensei's tricks. She managed to overcome the fact that she still loved and missed Sasuke and fight back against Kakashi. She had been taken under the mentorship of one of the Legendary Ninjas - and the present sixth Hokage - Tsunade, and improved greatly. She was proud of herself as well.

That was so long ago, yet at the same time so close and familiar. Her thoughts turned to her team mates, Naruto, Sai, Kakashi, and ... Sasuke.

_**Growing up means the beginning of a new era.**_

Naruto had grown so much since the last two and the half years. For a start, his outfit changed from blue, orange and white to orange and black. He went under the tutelage of Jiraiya and left the village. He came back stronger, slightly more mature... but still a Genin. A blow to his pride, she was sure, but she had faith that she would be able to become a Chunnin very soon too. He was the same Naruto she knew before, but at the same time had become slightly more different. Still, he was immature. Konohamaru proved that fact when he showed him _his_ version of Sexy no Jutsu. _And I thought he had changed with all that dialogue on he didn't have time for that sort of thing, _thought Sakura with a mental groan. _He just had to spoil it by screaming that that perverted jutsu was too weak. He even said he had developed a new one._

Then there was Sai. New to the team, and had problems with his emotions in an odd way. She appreciated his presence though. He was good at art, for a start.

It had been a beginning of a new era when Sasuke left the village in pursuit of his own goal. When both Naruto and Sakura realized that being a ninja wasn't really what it had seemed to be in the first place. Shortly afterwards, they had gone their separate ways to become stronger. And for Naruto, he still persisted in his goal to bring Sasuke back to Konoha and back into their team. Sakura couldn't help smiling at Naruto's determination. He was annoying, but that determination made him - well, how did it make it? Sakura couldn't find a word to place it herself. In a way, it inspired and charmed her at the same time.

_**Sometimes,**_

Her mind went to Sasuke. His cold attitude. How he had just begun to open up to Team 7 when they began their Chuunin exams. Her feelings for him. The secret that she had promised not to tell Naruto two and a half years ago, and yet to save him she had broken that promise and told Naruto so he could understand what was driving him to do all this.

_**Growing up means growing apart.**_

She did miss Sasuke still. She had heard news that Sasuke had defeated Orochimaru and gathered his own team to track down Itachi. Kakashi had even commented on one of their members - was it Karin, the redheaded girl? She had heard about her. For a few moments, jealousy boiled, then Sakura managed to quash it. Just like the way she had done so many times ago now.

She had grown up away from Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi, and now, only Naruto and Kakashi remained of the old guard. Sasuke was always missing, and no matter how competent Sai was, he could never fill in Sasuke's spot.

In her eyes, Sasuke was unique and special, his moodiness combined with a hatred that he had hidden - for most of the time. Until he was seduced by Orochimaru's offer. And if the news of Sasuke defeating Orochimaru was true, then perhaps there still was hope that Sasuke would one day come back. Sakura didn't know why she felt that way, but to her, it somehow clicked in an unexplainable way. Maybe one day...

"Hey Sakura! I thought you were going home!" Sakura was jolted out of her reverie when she heard Naruto's voice. She started, and found herself in front of Naruto and Sai, both evidently heading to Ichikaru Ramen.

"Ehh, I must have taken a wrong turn," explained Sakura sheepishly. _Maybe I did as well._

"Wanna come with us? Ichikaru Ramen's a few paces away now." Sakura smiled a bit.

"Sure." She joined Naruto and Sai in the now brightly lit streets, teeming with people, feeling a little less lonely, and more cheerful than she was previously. Sure, she would have to deal with Naruto and Sai now, but she welcomed it. It felt more human and warm. There seemed to be more hope as well.

When Sakura got back home that night, completely stuffed to the brim because of Naruto generously buying around three bowls of ramen for each of them, she washed and went to bed.

But before she slept, her eyes fell on the picture of the old team 7 with her, Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. She smiled, and before long, she fell asleep.

_**Growing up means meeting each other at another crossroads**_

_**And getting together with the ones you know best in the end.

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I composed the lines in bold myself. It kinda hit me when I was reading a blurb for my Naruto comics when it read "sometimes growing up meant growing apart".

Reviews are greatly appreciated, and I hope you don't mind the sentimentality.


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